The invitation had appeared on Qin Buwen’s stall while she was away.
She had no idea who had left it there.
She looked up at the sun.
The auction should be starting soon.
She tapped the invitation lightly against her palm.
Then she rose to her feet.
Someone had gone to such lengths to invite her. How could she possibly refuse?
She intended to find out exactly who was lurking behind the curtain.
…
The Wanwu Pavilion auction house was the largest not only in the capital but in all of Yaoyun.
Many of the treasures auctioned here could not be found anywhere else.
The amount a wealthy family spent with a casual flick of the wrist here was enough for an ordinary household to live comfortably for a lifetime.
Qin Buwen handed over her invitation, only to be stopped by the guard at the entrance.
She frowned slightly.
“I’ve already presented my invitation.”
The guard bowed apologetically.
“My apologies, miss. I only wished to ask whether you would like a mask.”
Following his gaze, Qin Buwen looked toward the neatly arranged row of masks nearby.
“Today’s lots are rather… special. To protect our guests’ identities, everyone may choose whether or not to wear a mask.”
Raising an eyebrow, Qin Buwen casually selected one shaped like a fox and slipped it over her face before entering the auction hall.
She had visited Wanwu Pavilion’s auction house many times before, so she knew the layout well.
Below the enormous circular stage were rows of seats divided by folding screens. Outside each screen stood an attendant responsible for calling out bids. The highest bidder would claim the item.
Qin Buwen found an empty seat and settled down. The screen concealed her almost completely.
Ordinarily, the screens alone provided excellent privacy.
Yet today the guests had even been offered masks.
Her index finger tapped lightly against the table as she pondered.
It seemed today’s final treasures truly were extraordinary.
Most of the attendees were nobles and wealthy elites from Chang’an. Any one of these auction items could attract unwanted attention after changing hands, so the majority had chosen to wear masks.
Just as Qin Buwen lounged in her chair, waiting impatiently for the auction to begin, a commotion spread through the hall.
“Look! Look! That person isn’t wearing a mask!”
“Who is that? How arrogant!”
“You don’t recognize him? That’s the current Grand Secretary—Lord Ji Junjiao!”
“The Grand Secretary actually came to the auction?”
…
Qin Buwen pushed aside the edge of the screen and looked toward the source of the voices.
Ji Junjiao entered calmly, dressed in a dark robe.
He wore no mask.
His face was breathtakingly handsome, cold and noble beyond compare. His every movement was measured and dignified, the jade pendant at his waist chiming softly with each step. He carried himself with effortless grace.
Qin Buwen’s brows lifted slightly, surprise flickering across her eyes.
Ji Junjiao truly was an upright gentleman.
Everyone else wished they could disappear into the crowd, yet he simply walked into the auction house barefaced, open and unconcerned, eclipsing everyone else without trying.
The folding screens divided the seating into two sides with a broad aisle between them.
Qin Buwen watched helplessly as Ji Junjiao took the seat directly across the aisle from hers.
What rotten luck.
She clicked her tongue softly and lowered her head.
Fortunately, she was wearing a mask. Even if Ji Junjiao looked her way, there was no chance he would recognize her.
With that thought, she finally relaxed.
…Only for the breath she had just released to catch in her throat as another wave of astonished cries erupted around her.
“Lord Situ! Lord Situ is here!”
“Lord Situ? Which Lord Situ?”
“Who else could it be? Besides Yan Tang, is there another Lord Situ in Chang’an?”
Yan Tang?
Qin Buwen frowned and turned toward the aisle.
Sure enough, Ming’an was pushing the wheelchair.
Seated upon it, Yan Tang wore his usual distant, gentle smile, acknowledging the guests on either side with courteous nods.
He wasn’t wearing a mask either.
Whether Yan Tang wore one was meaningless.
His imperial golden wheelchair announced his identity wherever he went.
Nor did he seem interested in concealing who he was.
When he reached Ji Junjiao, he even signaled for Ming’an to stop before bowing politely.
“This humble official greets the Grand Secretary.”
Ji Junjiao’s expression remained calm.
“I didn’t expect Lord Situ to attend.”
Yan Tang’s health was poor. He coughed twice into a handkerchief before speaking again, his smile unchanged.
“I’ve come to lend the Grand Secretary a helping hand.”
Ji Junjiao looked at him evenly.
“Then I thank Lord Situ in advance.”
Yan Tang smiled, inclined his head once more, and had Ming’an wheel him to the seat directly in front of Ji Junjiao.
Listening to their brief exchange, Qin Buwen immediately understood why Yan Tang had come.
Ji Junjiao intended to estimate Li Yunmu’s available wealth through his bidding during the auction.
As Vice Minister of Revenue, if Li Yunmu spent more money than his account books could possibly account for, it would prove the ledgers had been falsified.
But there was an obvious flaw.
What if Li Yunmu bought nothing?
Or what if his bids never exceeded what the books could support?
That was where Yan Tang came in.
Qin Buwen smiled faintly, her gaze lingering on his back.
As expected.
The auction officially began.
The first lot was an exquisitely carved ivory folding fan, with an opening bid of ten thousand cash.
“Guest Number Twenty-Four bids twelve thousand!”
“Guest Number Fifty-One bids fourteen thousand!”
“Guest Number Sixteen bids eighteen thousand!”
In only a few moments, the ivory fan’s price had climbed to thirty thousand cash.
The pace of bidding gradually slowed.
Then an attendant called out,
“Guest Number Twenty-Six bids thirty-six thousand!”
It was already an impressive price.
Just as everyone assumed the bidding was over, Yan Tang gently tapped the table.
His attendant immediately announced,
“Guest Number Five bids… thirty-six thousand and one cash!”
A deliberate insult.
So Guest Twenty-Six had to be Li Yunmu.
Sure enough, a proud and arrogant man like Li Yunmu could never tolerate such humiliation.
He immediately raised the bid.
But no matter how much Li Yunmu offered, Yan Tang increased it by exactly one cash.
Anyone with eyes could see he was provoking him.
Finally, Li Yunmu slammed the price up to forty thousand cash.
Yan Tang took a leisurely sip of tea and waved a hand.
He made no further bid.
“Forty thousand cash, going once!”
“Going twice!”
“Going three times!”
“Sold for forty thousand cash! Congratulations to Guest Number Twenty-Six!”
Li Yunmu had won the first item.
Yan Tang merely curved his lips into a faint smile, every bit the refined scholar, elegant as polished jade.
This was precisely his role.
Drive up the prices.
Force Li Yunmu to overpay for every item.
That way, Ji Junjiao needed only estimate how much money Li Yunmu was capable of spending before determining whether his account books were genuine.
The next several auction items unfolded the same way.
It was as though Yan Tang had singled out Guest Number Twenty-Six for harassment.
Unhurriedly, he pushed every bid just a little higher.
Li Yunmu was young, proud, and unwilling to be outdone. Time and again, he drove the prices sky-high before finally claiming the lots.
“Now then,” the auctioneer announced, “our next item is the one many of today’s honored guests have truly come for.”
Whether it was merely Qin Buwen’s imagination or not, the smile at Yan Tang’s lips vanished the instant those words were spoken.
“Not only is there nothing else like it in Chang’an—there is not another one in all of Yaoyun!”
“Our next lot…”
“…is the jade thumb ring once worn by Prince Chang’an, Qin Buwen, before his death.”
“Haiyan.“